iWorld
HiPi launches on android, to be available for ioS soon
KOLKATA: Short video platform HiPi has announced a separate app in the user-generated content (UGC) market. After being a part of Zee5 as a beta version since its launch in 2020, ‘HiPi ka naya adda’ will now be available for Android users from 18 June and iOS users from 22 June.
The app comes equipped with quality features, including the latest trending music tracks, interactive filters, and effects to help brands establish a deeper bond with their audiences. It even allows users to apply 3D face filters, lip-sync edit videos and create dubbing videos to add a touch of magic to their content.
As part of this novel journey, HiPi has also rolled out a month-long campaign #EntertainmentKiBaarish to redefine the meaning of fun. It aims to democratise the digital content arena by providing an even break to both the creators and the viewers from across the nation.
The campaign will feature tie-ups with renowned brands and allow users to engage with mind-blowing challenges across genres and contests like Dance Bangla Dance, where creators and viewers can win weekly prizes by performing a unique hook step as per the weekly dance theme, which will be curated by the jury and mentors of Dance Bangla Dance.
The 22-week contest will be broken into two parts- creator and viewer. The creator contest will feature about 20 Dance Bangla Dance contestants who will post their videos on HiPi while they continue to participate in the reality show.
The grand winner will be declared from one of the Dance Bangla Dance contestants who will stand a chance to win a cash prize of Rs two lakhs and a three-month contract with HiPi. Meanwhile, in the viewer’s contest, HiPi will select one participant from the UGC entries who can stand the chance of winning weekly cash prizes amounting to Rs two lakhs through the duration of the contest. The winners for both categories will be selected based on their popularity on HiPi.
Commenting on the remarkable announcements, the spokesperson of HiPi, said, “Showcasing our standalone app in the Indian market within one year of our launch is a huge achievement for us. This was an outcome of the overwhelming response and support we received from our users and we want to return the favour through the #EntertainmentKiBaarish. The campaign promises to bring invigorating activities and contests, allowing users to experience the joy of entertainment on their fingertips”.
Apart from the campaign filled with fun and entertainment, HiPi will also launch a contest, allowing users to upload videos showcasing the best of their talent (dance, singing, lip-sync, food, fitness, fashion, beauty, etc). The winners of the contest will get a cash prize of Rs.50,000.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
